Kiko for sale

I can’t say I’m surprised to see Kiko for sale on eBay (via OnStartups). Not that I thought Kiko was bad (though it ran up against Google as noted previously), but because I agree with Dharmesh and think this will become a rather common occurence in the not so distant future.

With all of these Web 2.0 sites coming out, it’s easy for them to fade away and get lost in the noise. When the founders realize that they’re spending all their time on something that isn’t meeting their goals and expectations (whether monetary or something else), they’ll try to sell it and find something better to spend their time on. Why do I think this? Because I’ve had these thoughts about NetworthIQ, and I’m sure there are hundreds of others who have considered it as well. It’s business. Fortunately, I’m not competing against Google and I still have a lot to do before I reach that point.

But, before we get all sensationalistic and start saying this is the start of Crash 2.0, let’s take a step back. The high number of new startups/sites shouldn’t be considered a bad thing that we become too cynical about. If these entrepreneurs succeed, awesome. If not, think of all that’s being learned. Whether it’s gaining skills and experience in software development, or business, these experiences can only make us stronger (as a friend told me, it’s “skill-building”). Nobody is getting hurt, and the good ones will rise above the noise. The Web is not going away. Just be careful, as Rick Segal mentions, not to forget about your day job too soon.

I say ignore all this “bubble 2.0” talk. Investors should be smart enough to identify good risks (note the word “risk”), it’s their job, and there will not be a dot.com public market crash this time because the overwhelming majority of these companies will not go public.